Obama seems burned out by his job at present.

[Writer]

I may be projecting; I'm feeling burned out with graduate school at the moment.

But he has seemed tired and disinterested in his last few public appearances. The fire in his belly is gone, or it seems to be. He said what he wanted to say about the mosque because he believes in upholding the First Amendment. However, worrying about the political ramifications of his speech seems to have been an afterthought. His remarks in Florida were merely a momentary reflection of the fact that he is the President, and his rhetoric has consequences, no matter how much those consequences disgust him.

I read an article that explained that Obama and Gibbs are close, so when Gibbs mouths off, it's at least partially a reflection of what the President thinks, as well. I don't know how true that is, but if so, then I see an administration who has worked their asses off only to find the very culture that they so despised to begin with - the political culture of false binary logic - attack the very real results they've produced.

I know that this post will get immediately categorized and torn apart, but understand that there are entire institutions that have taught us to think in such black and white terms, because it suits the interests of a few. Obama is not a black and white thinker, in fact, I think he despises this way of thinking. It produces NOTHING. It means NOTHING because politics for this mode of logic are a priori to understanding the world, and if politics are everywhere, then politics are actually nowhere. Politics have disappeared.

If he is indeed disgusted, I don't blame him. If I were in his shoes, I would wonder why the fuck I would continue to try.

[Drunken Irishman]

1. He does look exhausted, doesn't he?

[BootinUp]

3. lol.

maybe he's cussin someone and we just didn't get the report.

[lonestarnot]

4. Not to me.

[Bitwit1234]

15. He's gettin grayer...

[Radical Activist]

22. All Presidents age rapidly after taking office.

If you haven't done this before, check out before/after photos of modern Presidents. It's amazing how much they age in 4-8 years.

[niceypoo]

36. Yeah, they look 4 - 8 years older when they are through

Amazing

[Radical Activist]

38. No, they look about 20 years older.

[hileeopnyn8d]

67. So am I

It happens to those of us out late forties.

[flpoljunkie]

30. Yeah, he sure does. And, he's lost his charisma, as well.

President Barack Obama smiles as he walks down the stairs of Air Force One as he arrives at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Monday, Aug. 16, 2010


Marcelas Owens of Seattle, whose mother, Tiffany Owens died after losing her job and health care, lower right, looks up at President Barack Obama, left as Obama greets audience members at a fundraising event in Seattle, Wash Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010.

[flamingdem]

47. I was just going to post that rrrrahhhrrr! nt

[tomm2thumbs]

77. he was yawning and too weak to keep his jacket on I see (sigh)

someone get that man a walker and some geritol already

[Pavlovs DiOgie]

81. He looks fired up and ready to go NT

[BootinUp]

2. If so, I don't fault him either. nt

[blm]

5. I think your observation is correct.

.

[babylonsister]

6. I won't tear you apart, but I don't think he's burned out because

he knows the nature of the beast. He knows now has to be the time to raise $ for Dems, as unseemly as that might be when we should be concentrating on jobs.

In FL he was with his family; the fact he was there hopefully made Floridians feel better.

He'll be in MA on vacation by the end of the week, and I bet he can't wait to be able to relax a little.

Disinterested? Nah, you're just not being fed what the m$m doesn't sell:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x414027

An excerpt from Obama's speech at a factory providing green energy jobs as a result of the stimulus bill.

Now I’ll be honest with you, there’s going to be a big debate about where we go. There are folks in Washington right now who think we should abandon our efforts to support clean energy. They’ve made the political calculation that it’s better to stand on the sidelines than work as a team to help American businesses and American workers.

So they said no to the small business tax cuts I talked about. They said no to rebuilding infrastructure. And they said no to clean energy projects. They even voted against getting rid of tax breaks for shipping jobs overseas so we could give those tax breaks to companies that are investing right here in Wisconsin.

And my answer to people who have playing politics the past year and a half is, they should come to this plant. They should go to any of the dozen new battery factories, or the new electrical vehicle manufacturers, or the new wind turbine makers, or the solar plants that are popping up all over this country, and they should have to explain why they think these clean energy jobs are better off being made in Germany or China or Spain, instead of right here in the United States.

more...

[nightrain]

7. LOL, it seems you have an inside track into his psyche and plans...

[babylonsister]

8. No, I was responding to the OP with facts. You should try it. nt

[nightrain]

14. Y'all worry about him like he's yours. Try caring for yourselves, he'll take care of himself or not

LOL!

[babylonsister]

19. Why should you worry about who people care about? I think it's

a virtue to care about others, especially the Prez. And he is mine, finally: I want him to do the right thing vs. idiot son, where I had no faith in that at all.

[nightrain]

37. It's an observation that I make. It seems to me that there is much worry and

concern about Obama from some folks on DU that seems overly-protective, overly-involved in his personal life. He actually isn't "yours" or anyone else's, he's his own. It all sounds, to use an often misunderstood term, very co-dependent. He's not your son, sister, father, uncle, mother, husband/wife, grandfather, brother, or any of that. It would probably be helpful to him if folks let him be-- not apologize for him, mind-read him, etc.

Babylonsister, when you say "he knows...", and "I bet he can't wait to be able to relax a little"--where do you get that from? Are you one of his confidants? Or, is it something inside yourself? Are you saying that you need to relax a bit?

None of us have any control over him, nor should we. I think he's been showing us who he is, what his qualities are, what his shortcomings are, for some time now. My view is that he seems to be very conflict-averse, which doesn't serve the country well at this time. My sense is that he is somewhat of a "people-pleaser", which could explain his desire for approval from the Right and his difficulty acting out of HIS values (whatever they are.) My sense is that, as President, he rarely articulates and acts out of his values, more takes on others' (the Right's) values. Perhaps peoples' interest in his personal life, his welfare, his relationships with his family/children is an attempt to grasp his values, to feel some reassurance that he is not conflicted?

As a wise DUer posted last year--

"One Must Remember That Obama's Rhetoric And Action Are Disjoint
The Rhetoric is alive with hope and change.
The Action is replete with reconciliation and appeasement.
It is as if the man is at war with himself.
How can one so conflicted be expected to stand firm and act?"

[nightrain]

58. crickets....

[Jakes Progress]

50. Facts on DU? Now that's funny.

[BeFree]

11. Alright.. way to Go Obama

He's absolutely right that there is no team work anymore.

The opposition to clean energy, folks like Saudi Arabia, are fighting against progress every step of the way.

Sounds like Obama is trying to tell us the hard truth. Will we hear?

[gateley]

9. I've thought he seemed maybe tired and weary a couple of times, but today in Seattle

he was in GREAT form! They covered his speech at a fundraiser and although we've heard some of the lines before, he was really bringing it. (I keep saying he could do stand up.) This after he'd been in California already today. Maybe he gets energy from the people, but he sure didn't seem tired or burned out today. :hi:

[Skip Intro]

10. I feel bad for him, but...

It wasn't smart, politically, to step into the mosque debate. There was no demand he elevate the issue. His stance, and then his qualification, has done more harm than good.

And it wasn't smart, politically, to let the health care debate devolve into what it did. He should have seen those slings and arrows coming. He wasn't prepared. The result is something no one I know really feels good about. Thankfully, politically, it seems to be fading somewhat as an issue. But it should have never gotten to the point that it did.

And it wasn't smart to promise out of hand an end to the Iraq mission, whatever that has become. Anyone with any sense of history knows full well the US will be the dominant force in that country for decades to come, and yes, backed by a military presence.

And it was wrong to promise dialog and working together with the repukes when he should have, and surely must have, known full well that would never be the case.

In my estimation he said what he had to say, and avoided saying much that he knew, in order to get elected. He was purposely vague, purposely more about imagery than reality. And now we are where we are, and he is where he is. I feel for him, I truly do. Maybe he was a victim of his own hype. I don't know. But the reality is what it is. And he had a great hand in creating this reality.

Flame away...

[BootinUp]

28. You are really taking the negative view imo

In other words, there actually are upsides to the issues you raise. The Obama that ran for President, that guy with all the great rhetoric that won the election pretty resoundly, cannot fail to stand up for constitutional rights on big issues like the mosque thing. It would be counter to his character, counter to the core Obama you see. And on Healthcare, Health Insurance or whatever, he did what it took to get the reform passed. That IS the upside. There is no good reason for Monday morning quarterbacking it. If there is a better quarterback we should have had him/her in there on Sunday. By getting through the game and passing the bill Obama upheld his committment.

I don't really know where you are coming from on Iraq. The approach he is taking is what he said he would do, I don't see any disconnect. It tells me you have a hard time reading political candidates and what they are really promising when they promise something.

You mean he tried to get elected? No, Really? lol.

[Mimosa]

84. Obama has a tendency to speak before thinking things out

I like Obama. I've watched him carefully through the past few years. Occasionally -not often, he has an unfortunate tendency to 'pronounce' an opinion on an issue about which he feels strongly. His opinion then backfires on him politically. I attribute that to his age. Almost anybody under 50 does that.

As for his 'aging' I think most males and many females go through an 'aging spurt' between the ages of 48 to 53 (depends on the individual). Then they stay pretty much the same until the next aging spurt at around 60. It's sort of like when teenagers go through growth spurts and they change rapidly during certain period.

[TomCADem]

12. Disagree - He Seemed Pretty Relaxed During His Gulf Vacation...

...Of course, during the cable news video, there was a voice over attacking President Obama's support for religious freedom, but he seemed relaxed.

[Lint Head]

13. If he wins a second term then it's damn the torpedoes.

He can do anything except retiring. He would be able to advocate the progressive things we need.

[saltpoint]

16. Mike Pence's aides might think so.

But they might be wrong.

[Aramchek]

17. just see if you can keep up

[impik]

18. If anything, he seems sad. Like he can't believe that this is his beloved America

And he's tired, but he's going to get some rest next week, at least i hope he will.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

20. What do you expect? The constant bashing from the so-called "Professional Left" and Wingnut Right...

....would burn *ANYONE* out.

Geez...the double standards are simply amazing.

This man has been thrown shit from A to Z and you're wondering why he looks burned out? Really??!?!?

[dwilso40641]

23. His problem is

the amateur left (DLC) keeps blowing smoke up his ass

[CakeGrrl]

25. Exactly. But don't point that out because

you'll cue the sarcastic "Poooor Obama" and the "Well, he ASKED for this job" retreads.

:crazy:

And I'd bet good money that all those dishing out those nuggets of wisdom and insight wouldn't last a month in his position.

[BootinUp]

29. Most of those dishing out those nuggets

wouldn't last a week.

[Born_A_Truman]

21. Busy man ...

[Hawkowl]

24. He won't run in 2012

I've never seen a president lose his enthusiasm quicker than Obama.

[JTFrog]

26. Spare us your fantasies. n/t

[tallahasseedem]

33. +1

The amount of people here on DU that don't want the President to run in 2012 is scary.

[Hekate]

27. Yeah, those pix in posts 1 and 21 show a man defeated, and dispirited crowds. Pathetic losers.

:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

[saltpoint]

35. In the months before he released BLOOD ON THE

TRACKS, music critics were writing of Dylan's career in the past tense.

Turns out they were wrong.

[CakeGrrl]

39. Do tell when THAT happened

Are you watching him through a Fox News distortion filter or what?

:crazy:

[impik]

79. Now i'm curious what joke "ignored" had to tell this time

[WI_DEM]

41. You don't know what your talking about.

[mkultra]

63. lets bet on it. $100

Come on chickenshit. Are you all talk?

[JVS]

31. Maybe he should retire.

[impik]

32. He will, in two years. Everybody will be happy

[CakeGrrl]

42. Don't let the naysayers wear ya down

To their disappointment, he's not as weak or susceptible to criticism as they'd like him to be.

[bigwillq]

34. Any President with a conscious

will get burned out. It's a tough job. Luckily, Obama seems a lot stronger and tougher, as far as being able to handle the day-to-day grind, then a lot of other folks. He's going to "continue to try" because that's what he signed up to do.

[WI_DEM]

40. Yeah, I think you're just projecting yourself and your situation onto Obama.

[otohara]

43. Are YOu Chuck Todd?

projecting mindless "gut feelings" on DU instead of MSNBC?

[smalll]

44. I wouldn't say "burned out" -- but maybe just a little overwhelmed.

He may not really be ready for the job yet.

Speculation continues to mount that, following a bad 2010 midterm result, Biden will be prevailed upon to give up the Vice-Presidency, Obama will appoint Hillary as VP, then resign, allowing her to ensconce herself with the powers of incumbency and win-relection in 2012. Obama will become Hillary's VP upon his resignation as President. I am sure after a term or two as Hillary's VP, Obama will gain the experience and seasoning he needs to run for the Presidency in 2016 or 2020.

[Uzybone]

45. you continue to post this madness

Is Jesus whispering this scenario to you?

[Jennicut]

46. This is hysterical, isn't it? No President has ever resigned to let his VP take over

because they were "overwhelmed with the job". Obama should at least have someone break into the RNC headquarters first!

[karynnj]

57. Not to mention - this scenaio also assumes that Biden just steps down

(or maybe in a second version becomes Secretary of state, resulting in what her 2008 view of the future was with President HRC, VP Obama and SoS Biden.)

No one who has fought for the Presidency would be likely to simply quit. The commitment needed to run a reasonable campaign is too great.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

48. If by "Jesus," you mean crystal meth, then yes.

[LiberalAndProud]

53. You're kidding, right?

Mildly funny, but I didn't laugh out loud.

[karynnj]

56. You are NOTHING if not persitant in your desire to see Clinton as President

Here, you imagine two ambitious men, the President and the VP essentially throwing their hands up and resigning because it's too hard. The "speculation" that Biden will resign if the 2010 results are "bad" seems to be just from the right - and it really seems baseless.

The idea that the President would scheme to become VP is beyond silly. Why would he give up the position of making the final decisions for one that has very little Constitutional power. Not to mention,there running for President again after essentially quitting because it was too tough is not really a well thought out strategy.

To see how ridiculous this is - take Hillary's name out - and make it Biden, who becomes President. Does it still make sense to you? (or if you want, substitute Kerry or Dean in the Hillary role here.) There is no politician I respect more than Senator Kerry, but I would see this entire scheme as unDemocratic - intentionally giving this country a President they did not elect.

[Hekate]

59. Why don't you take up writing science fiction? This scenario only works in a parallel universe...

... one where our own Constitution doesn't exist.

"Speculation continues to mount" -- speculation by WHOM? :rofl:

[woo me with science]

62. Oh for pete's sake. nt

[mkultra]

64. I bet it hurts you to realize that he beat her ass.

[Name removed]

69. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[AtomicKitten]

70. PUMA lore: Accusing Pres Obama of cheating in the caucus states.

Nothing more unseemly than a sore loser.

PUMA Politics:
http://logisticsmonster.wordpress.com/2008/08/23/puma-politics-caucus-fraudwhat-did-gumby-think-we-wouldnt-talk/

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/01/stunner-hillary-accused-obama-of-cheating-in-primaries/">Oh My, Hillary Accuses Obama of Cheating in Primaries

A book published today by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin The Race of a Lifetime reveals that Hillary Clinton accused Obama of cheating during their historic 2008 campaign race. This is a pretty serious charge. Let’s see if the US media covers it. Founding Bloggers discovered this nugget from the Times Online report today:

Hillary Clinton is depicted — and quoted — as foul-mouthed and consumed with anger over what she saw as the media’s kid-gloved treatment of Mr Obama. She was convinced that he had cheated at the start of their marathon primary contest by bringing in outsiders to vote in the Iowa caucuses, and when it was over she was supremely reluctant to work for him, the authors claim.

[Beacool]

71. Also blame the undemocratic way that the Democrats have for choosing a nominee.

The way they apportion delegates, the super delegate fiasco, etc.

Obama had as much training to be president as a gnat, but the gullible people fell for his vapid speeches about "hope & change" and his semi messianic statements. Such as, "we are the ones we've been waiting for" and how about the one about the oceans receding, the planets aligning, blah, blah, blah. I don't know if to laugh or cry......

The country is going down the crapper, but we here have dozens of posts about Michelle's trip to Spain, the Ground Zero mosque controversy and whether Obama has taken too many vacations.

Meantime, unemployment is the worst it's been since last November and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight to the suffering of the unemployed. But heck, let's not worry about it, we have a cool president who looks fit and is quite adept at playing a good round of golf. Central casting couldn't have asked for a better actor.

As for your theory, it will never happen. We'll all swim or sink together.

x(

[AtomicKitten]

72. ^ sore loser

[Beacool]

73. Nope, a realist.

:shrug:

[AtomicKitten]

74. Here's the reality portrayed in parody:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/19689/saturday-night-live-message-from-hillary-clinton

[Beacool]

75. Kitten, shoo........

I'm not in the mood to argue with you. Do something constructive, go feed the homeless.

[AtomicKitten]

76. Well bless your shriveled PUMA heart. nt

[Phx_Dem]

49. Yeah, he looks really burned out every time I see with his a huge smile on his face!

Are you fucking kidding me?

[prolesunited]

51. DU gets more ridiculous with each passing day

This gets traction, while a gem like this slides down the page:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8969656

[Writer]

52. The more people kick this thread, the longer it will last beyond the point of its applicability.

I don't agree anymore with my original OP.

[Sherman A1]

60. Or this one.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8966759

[angee_is_mad]

54. with the fauxgressives

what do you expect. It wouldn't surprise me if he said, "All ya'll sons of bytches can kiss my azz,"and take his wife and kids away from all this foolishness.

[DailyGrind51]

55. He never expected the degree of opposition and obstructionism!

He totally underestimated the effectiveness of FOX and the teabaggers to monopolize the public forum.

[woo me with science]

61. Aw, of course it's really about you.

When is anything ever about anything else? :evilgrin:

[BlueIris]

65. Personally, I think he burned out a couple of years back,

and just didn't have the heart (nerve?) to tell us.

[impik]

78. Really? Was it before he kicked Hillary and McCain's butt or after?

[theothersnippywshrub]

66. He is burned out by the partisan hatred. He never imagined that the party of Lincoln would become

the party of John Wilkes Booth. He was naive in not understanding that the fundamental values and beliefs of the republican base are bigotry and hatred, and that nearly all republican politicians always will pay homage and obeisance to the base. Fundamentally, he was naive in believing that republican politicians loved their country more than they loved their party.

[Skittles]

80. LOL

naive? Anyone who could believe repukes care about America is STUPID STUPID STUPID.

[Mimosa]

68. Could it be that his immediate staff are not helping Obama?

I see Obama having at least 3 people around him who are out of touch: Rahm Emanuel. David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs. There may be more.

[RandomThoughts]

82. Hard to know, they may not get the same information as other people.

That is why blockers and censors are much of the problems in society

[Writer]

83. I'M COMPLETELY BURNED OUT BY THIS THREAD!

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[TK421]

85. He just needs a good game of golf to get back on track n.t